heartbeats and chance meets
by purpleprincess1147
Summary: A collection of one-shots and AUs featuring a multitude of pairings, including Wishfulshipping, Ikarishipping, Contestshipping, Pokeshipping, Oldrivalshipping/Leafgreenshipping, Geekchicshipping, and more. [Chapter 5: "HiI'mSerena andI'mkindathegirlwhoattackedyouinyourownapartmentSaturdayI'msosorrypleasedon'tcallthecopsonmeI'mtoocuteforjail!" Geekchicshipping.]
1. Chapter 1

x

heartbeats and chance meets

x

 _purpleprincess1147_

 **prompt:** I wasn't paying attention when I was walking and I just bumped into you and now your cake is on the ground and I'm really really sorry

 **pairing:** Ash (17) x Misty (17) {pokeshipping}

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon in any way, shape, or form whatsoever.**

* * *

"Pikachu! Get back here!"

The golden retriever skidded to a stop, turned to look at its owner, barked, and then turned back around to continue running down the busy sidewalk.

"Oh come―Pikachu!"

Ash readjusted his cap as he flew after the rampaging puppy, a brand new red and white leash gripped in his hand. Why oh why did his beloved pet refuse to be on a leash? It was for his own safety, honest.

The escapee in question weaved in between pedestrians and darted through the legs of unsuspecting victims, tripping quite a few of them in the process. Ash followed clumsily after, unable to match the puppy's own agility and surprising grace.

"Sorry! Sorry! Ouch, are you okay? So sorry about that! Pikachu! 'Scuse me, sorry, pardon me, excu―"

"Oomf!"

Ash blinked, not quite sure as to why he was no longer chasing after his puppy. He moved to get up off the ground, only to place his palm right on something extremely... _squishy_ and definitely out of place. He yanked his hand back and scrambled to his feet, examining his frosting-covered hand curiously.

"Oh, this is just great. Abso-fucking-lutely great."

* * *

Misty let out an aggravated growl and dragged her now empty hands down her reddening face. What. The. Fuck.

She let her hands drop down to her side, fists clenching and unclenching as she observed the boy in front of her and contemplated whether or not she should cause him bodily harm; he quite obviously deserved it.

She was already running late; now she had to go back and spend another thirty dollars on a brand new cake. This was not what she needed right now.

"Pikachu, stop! That tickles! I don't think you're supposed to eat frosting anyway..."

He quickly clipped the leash onto the dog's collar, wiping his dog-slobber-and-frosting-covered hand on his jeans.

"I'm really sorry about your cake, Miss," he said sheepishly, ruffling his dark hair. "Pikachu's really sorry too, aren't you buddy?"

The pup barked in response, tugging on the leash as he attempted to get closer to Misty, nose twitching excitedly.

Misty sighed softly, tugging on her ponytail, a small smile fighting its way onto her face. The dog was really cute; who was she to reject its apology? Plus, she didn't really have time to beat its owner to the ground.

"It's fine, I'll just get another one. Daisy's gonna shout my ear off for being late though..."

"Oh!" The boy's eyes widened and he scrambled for his wallet. "Here, let me pay for it! It's the least I could do after destroying this one!"

Misty eyed the boy warily. She didn't want to make him spend so much on a cake for her sister; she did not, however, have much of a desire to spend her own money on Violet's cake. Daisy had been the one to pay for the first one.

"Come on! Didn't you say you were running late?" The boy rushed ahead of her, his dog taking the lead. Misty looked at his retreating form, bewildered, before shrugging and following the two bringers of destruction.

* * *

"So what's your name, cake lady?"

Misty raised an eyebrow as she accepted the cake from the baker's meaty hands. "Misty. And you, o great bringer of destruction?"

Ash blushed, stepping forward to pay for the cake. "Ash Ketchum. And that's Pikachu!" He gestured towards the pup, who had been left outside and tethered to a tree.

Misty hummed to herself as she glanced at the pup briefly, before turning her attention to Ash. He looked to be around her age. Perhaps he went to different high school? She couldn't recall ever seeing him at Cerulean...

"Do you live around here?"

Misty nodded in affirmation. "What about you? I don't think I've ever seen you at school."

Ash smiled and shook his head as he pocketed his change. "Nah, I'm just visiting a friend. He recently got married and moved over here to live with his wife. Hey, he's actually been here for a couple of months! Maybe you know him! His name's Tracey, Tracey Sketchit!"

Misty stared at him incredulously. He had to be joking.

"Hello? Helloooo? Misty?" He waved his hand rapidly in front of the girl's blank face. Was it something he said?

Misty shook her head, a light blush forming across her cheeks. They were now outside the bakery. "Aren't you gonna grab Pikachu?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah! Come on buddy! We still have to pick up Tracey's gift! Oh, well, I guess this is goodbye," he said with a frown. He liked Misty! She hadn't yelled at him or anything when he crashed into her, and he had a feeling that she really would've liked to.

Misty frowned, too. Goodbye? She sneaked a glance at Ash. He seemed sweet, and she would've liked to have gotten to know him better. Maybe...

"Um, hey, Misty?" Ash shuffled his feet uncertainly. "I―"

"How long are you going to be in town?" she blurted, her face reddening. Oh god, what was she doing?

"Oh! Another week, at least! Er, why?"

"Um, well..." Oh god oh god oh god what was she doing? Misty let out a breath; she hadn't realized she'd stopped trying to breathe. _Relax Mist. It's not like you're asking him out on a date! Although to be honest I wouldn't be opposed..._ Misty nodded, ignoring her tomato-red face. Right. She could do this. She was just… offering up her services! Oh god no that sounded like―

"Wouldyoumaybelikeatourofthecity?"

Ash seemed confused for a moment, only to give her the biggest grin she had ever seen in her life. "That'd be great! Tomorrow?" She nodded. "Awesome! I'll see you then! Come on Pikachu!"

"W-Wait!" Too late. He was already halfway down the street, and she was almost an hour late at this point. _I guess I'll just ask Tracey for his number._

 _Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt._

Misty winced as she answered her phone, hurrying down the street with the cake in her arms. "Hello?"

 _"MISTY! Like, where are you?! Violet's gonna be here, like, any minute! Not to mention―TRACEY! Like,_ what _do you think you're doing?! LILY! Control my husband for a bit! Misty, get over here like right now!"_

 _Click._

* * *

"So, Tracey..."

"Yeah?"

"Do you know a guy named Ash Ketchum by any chance?"

* * *

 _Hello, and welcome to my newest endeavor, heartbeats and chance meets! This will be a collection of one-shots/AUs inspired by prompts on tumblr featuring a multitude of pairings, such as Wishfulshipping, Ikarishipping, Contestshipping, Pokeshipping, Oldrivalshipping/Leafgreenshipping, and Geekchicshipping._

 _My goal is to update at least once a month, if not sooner. If updates become erratic, chances are life and school are being prioritized (as they should be). I have plenty of prompts waiting to be brought to life, so here's to a new start and a new year!_

 _―purpleprincess1147_


	2. Chapter 2

x

heartbeats and chance meets

x

 _purpleprincess1147_

* * *

 **prompt:** I mistook you for my best friend and jumped on your back in public and now I'm embarrassed AU

 **pairing:** Dawn (16) x Paul (17) {ikarishipping}

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon in any way, shape, or form.**

* * *

 _"So, what've you spent your break doing?"_

Dawn let out an agonized groan. "It's been horrible Iris! I haven't done anything fun this whole week! All I did was bake some cupcakes…"

Iris rolled her eyes on the other side of the screen and adjusted her toweled pile of hair. _"Didn't you say you were going to the beach or something the other day?"_

Dawn pouted and hugged her pillow. "I was supposed to, but then the car broke down! We barely got it fixed yesterday." She sat up suddenly, letting out a high-pitched gasp. "I haven't even gone to the mall, Iris," she stage-whispered, flopping back onto her bed dramatically.

Iris' eyebrows shot up in surprise. _"Why not? That's usually the first place you go when you have free time,"_ Iris noted wryly.

"It's no fun when you go alone," Dawn mumbled moodily into her pillow. "Everybody I know is off doing something fun and totally _unboring_ , unlike me. Even you! I need to get a boyfriend..."

Iris shook her head, thoroughly amused with her friend's crisis. Dawn firmly believed that having a boyfriend would solve all of her problems, despite the fact that her (two) past boyfriends seemed to have only given her more problems to deal with.

"Or, better yet, one of you guys need to get a boyfriend! That way I'd at least have something to fangirl over or something…"

Iris stifled a laugh. Dawn was, from what she could tell, extremely bored. _"Well, why don't we go to the mall later today?"_

Dawn shot up like a bullet, catapulting off her bed and bringing her tablet as close to her face as she dared. "Really?! Don't you have to like go help at the greenhouse or something?"

Iris shook her head. _"Today's my day off. I was going to just sit around and do nothing, but seeing as you're in desperate need of some great company…"_ She trailed off teasingly.

"I love you Iris!"

 _"Plus, I have a surpriiiiiise to show you."_

Dawn furrowed her brow. A surprise? It wasn't even close to her birthday though… "What is it?"

Iris laughed. _"Well it wouldn't be much of a surprise if I told you, now would it?"_

Dawn puffed out her cheeks. "Iriiiiis!"

 _"You'll find out soon―no need to worry, Dawn,"_ she assured mischievously.

"Hey! That's my line!"

 _"You're such a little kid."_

Dawn grumbled as Iris disappeared and the screen went black, but immediately brightened at the realization that she was finally going to do something. _Iris, you're a lifesaver!_

x

Dawn scanned the colorful crowd of people for a head of purple hair, trying her best to ignore the rumbling of her stomach. Upon accepting that Iris was nowhere to be found, she sat down at one of the food court tables and contemplated whether or not she should eat without her friend.

She continued to search the crowd, though her bright blue eyes moved much less enthusiastically as before.

 _Brunette, brunette, blonde, redhead, blue, huh, green, weird, redhead, redhead, black, pink, purple, blonde, bl―_

Dawn stood abruptly, knocking her chair over and drawing the stares of people eating. Her eyes zeroed in on a head of purple hair moving slowly through the crowd―in the _completely opposite_ direction!

Dawn puffed out her cheeks, hitched her sparkly pink bag over her shoulder, and began marching towards Iris. Why wasn't Iris heading towards the food court? Did she not know how hungry she was?

She made her way through the crowd, careful not to let the bobbing purple head out of her sight. _Urgh, stupid tall people._ Tightening her hold on her bag, she took a running start before pouncing onto her unsuspecting friend's back, grinning as she heard a surprised grunt.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"Oof," Dawn grunted, not quite appreciating the way her bottom hit the cold, dirty ground. "What the hell, Iris?"

When she received no response, she stood up and brushed her bottom off before placing her hands on her hips and looking her friend straight in the eye.

"You kn―"

Dawn licked her suddenly dry lips nervously. The person she had just ambushed was, in fact, not Iris. Not even close.

While this stranger had purple hair like Iris―although it wasn't even the _same shade goddamnit Dawn why are you so stupid_ ―the similarities seemed to end there. No, scratch that―they ended there. Period.

Instead of Iris' warm, golden orbs, dark, obsidian eyes stared back at her and _oh my God it feels like they're drilling a hole into my soul JEsus._ Her perfectly poofy purple hair was nowhere to be seen, as this stranger had stringy, shoulder length lavender hair.

And, to top it all off, this stranger was, most definitely, _not_ of the female sex. At least, Dawn was pretty sure he wasn't.

"Ahaha...sososo sorry about...what just happened, er, sir."

The boy―man? He looked to be about her age, and she was _practically_ an adult―leered at her, a _probably permanent_ scowl etched upon his tan face. His eyes ran up and down her petite frame― _Is he...checking me out?!_ ―and he scowled, crossing his arms across his broad chest.

"Troublesome brat."

And with that declaration hanging in the air, he turned on his heel and stalked away.

"Wh―hey!" Dawn picked up her bag off of the floor and prepared herself to run after him. _No one calls me troublesome and...and checks me out without an earful! Or, or something...GRAH._

Dawn stopped mid stride, letting out a frustrated groan and running her hands through her hair frantically. Why did she want to go after him? Why the _fuck_ did she feel the need to go after this...this _complete stranger?_

 _Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt._

Dawn shoved her hand into her bag and pulled out her phone, her eyes stills scanning the crowd for a head of purple― _lavender_ , she corrected herself automatically―hair. "Hello?"

 _"Dawn? Where the heck are you? I thought we were meeting in the food court!"_

"I'm coming, I'm coming. I just got a little...sidetracked."

 _"Already looking to replace your wardrobe?"_ Iris teased.

"Ah, not exactly. I'll tell you about it right now."

Dawn hung up and pocketed her cell. With one last, fleeting look into the crowd, she turned and started her trek back to the food court.

x

"The way you're describing it, it almost seems like one of those scenes from those stupid chick flicks you force me to watch," Iris commented as she stabbed at her salad.

"But it wasn't! He was just...so rude and standoffish!" Dawn pouted. "And they are not stupid."

"Sure," Iris amended drily. "And weren't _you_ the one who jumped on _him_? That's seems a bit more, ah, _rude_ then him just deciding to walk away."

Dawn frowned. "Yeah, I guess," she mumbled, grabbing her drink off the table.

"Was he cute?"

Dawn spluttered, choking on her drink. Iris only grinned wickedly in response.

"Iris!"

"What?" she asked innocently. "It was only a question!"

Dawn shook her head and smiled. "Naw. Though I suppose he _could_ have looked cuter if he hadn't looked so pissy."

"Well, I mean, he _had_ just been atta―"

"Oh shut up about that already!"

Iris only cackled in response at her friend's horrible luck.

Dawn slumped in her chair moodily. "So, where's that surprise you promised me?"

Iris sighed contentedly, wiping an imaginary tear from her eye before leaning back in her chair. "Ah, it'll be here in a bit. Tell me more about your mysterious once-in-a lifetime soulmate or whatever the heck you call those people."

"He's not my soulmate!"

* * *

 _Hey guys! Second month, second chapter! I hope it didn't come out too bad; I'm hoping to make the chapters a little bit more romancey from here on out. Paul's just so difficult to work with. XD Anywho, feel free to leave any comments or criticisms you might have! Until next time!_

 _―purpleprincess1147_


	3. Chapter 3

x

heartbeats and chance meets

x

 _purpleprincess1147_

* * *

 **prompt:** we live in adjacent apartments and the walls are really thin so I hear you sing every morning in the shower and you're actually really good and I stand next to the wall and sing the next lyric just to see what would happen AU

 **pairing:** Drew (20) x May (20) {contestshipping}

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. I also do not own "Jealous" by Labrinth, "Scars to Your Beautiful" by Alessia Cara, or "We Don't Talk Anymore" by Charlie Puth ft. Selena Gomez.**

* * *

Drew grunted as he dropped the last of the cardboard boxes onto the shiny wood floor, flicking his hair out of his eyes as he straightened.

"Is that the last of it hon?"

Drew looked over at the figure splayed across the couch and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that was the last one."

"Woowee, wouldya look at the time. This took much longer than I expected."

"Well if you had actually helped like you said you were going to―"

"Now now Drew, I helped plenty. That coffee machine didn't just walk up and plug itself in, you know."

Drew rolled his eyes again, accepting the cup of warm coffee from Harley's outstretched hand and ignoring the wicked gleam in the older man's eye.

"I should've just asked Solidad." Drew muttered into his mug, his eyes roaming over the many, many boxes―that he had carried in all by _himself_ ―that littered his new apartment.

"Well, you didn't. And speaking of Solidad, I have to meet with her bright and early tomorrow, so I'll be going now. Thanks for the coffee sweetie."

And before Drew could even respond, Harley had strutted out of the apartment, leaving only half a cup of cold coffee in his wake. Drew felt his eye twitch and sighed tiredly, setting his own empty mug down on the kitchen counter. He slipped his shoes off and padded over to the bedroom, checking the watch on his wrist as he nudged the door open.

9:58 PM.

He looked at his bed longingly, one of the few pieces of furniture that he had actually bothered to assemble. Upon realizing that he had no absolutely no fucking clue where he had packed his pajamas, he flopped down face-first onto his bed with the promise that he would shower in the morning.

x

Sunlight filtered through plastic blinds, sneaking their way across the pale face of the young man splayed across a queen sized bed. The man in question rolled over with a frown, throwing his hand across his face in an attempt to ward off the sun's unforgiving rays.

Releasing his first sigh of the day, Drew sat up and looked around the unfamiliar new room blearily. He glanced at the watch he had failed to remove last night and was surprised to find that it was barely seven. Slowly but surely, Drew managed to untangle himself from his ridiculously comfortable blankets.

After rummaging through three of the five boxes labeled _Bath_ for a good couple of minutes, he had finally found a towel, body wash, shampoo, and conditioner. He scratched his head as he looked at the contents of the first two boxes: hair product. Lots and lots of hair product. Perhaps he should have labelled the boxes better. With a shrug he headed off to the bathroom, deciding to look for his clothes afterwards.

Drew turned the water on and stepped right in, unbothered by the cold spray hitting his body. He smiled contentedly, allowing himself a few minutes of silence before reaching for the body wash.

 _"The best of... all this word could give. And I told you... when you left me... there's nothing to forgive…"_

Green eyes popped open and darted all around. _What? Who the fuck is singing?_

 _"I'm jealous of the way... you're happy without me."_

Drew turned the water off and quickly placed his ear against the shower wall. Nothing. He frowned and went back to bathing. Whatever.

x

 _"She don't see.. her perfect; she don't understand she's worth it; or that beauty goes deeper than the surface, oh oh, oh oh oh…"_

Drew smiled as he leaned against the wall, uncaring of the water running down the drain or the fully prepped loofah in his still hand. It had been a month since he had first moved to Lilycove City; it had also been a month since he had first heard his mysterious neighbor singing in the shower. Every day, without fail, for the past four weeks, his (decidedly female) neighbor had gotten up in the morning to shower at exactly seven o'clock. And everyday, without fail, for the past four weeks, his decidedly female neighbor had indirectly serenaded him, as he had taken to showering at the same time as her after deciding that _no, he wasn't being creepy; just... curious._

Of course, that wasn't to say that he had not _tried_ to meet his neighbor, because he had. Multiple times. Twenty-eight times to be exact; one for every day of the past four weeks. And every time he had knocked on her door, she had not been home, which was _ridiculous_ because he had even gone as far as to try during different times of the day and―

He wasn't being creepy. Honest.

 _"We don't love anymore. What was all of it for?"_

Drew blinked. He knew this song. He racked his brain for the next lyric and, with a wicked grin, realized that she was singing a duet; of course, she was singing the male's part, but no matter. He readied himself, placing his face as close to the wall as he dared.

 _"I―"_

 _"I just hope you're lying next to somebody that knows how to love you like m―"_

 _"Eep!"_

Drew winced and jerked his face away from the wall as he heard what sounded suspiciously like a body falling to the floor. _Shit._

x

This was definitely not how Drew had imagined their first meeting going.

After hearing the girl fall in the shower, he had quickly run over to see if she was okay. She had answered the door after the fifth knock, dripping wet and in nothing but a bathrobe.

Drew blushed and turned away, looking anywhere but at the (decidedly pretty) girl.

As he continued to avoid all eye contact, his eyes wandered over his own attire.

 _Oh fuck._

Boxers. Boxers and a now wet white t-shirt. That was what he was wearing. Great.

"Um, can I help you?"

Drew's eyes involuntarily snapped towards the girl's own shining blue orbs and _Jesus Christ her eyes are so―_

"I'm sorry for, uh, what just happened."

The girl blinked and tilted her head. "I'm sorry?"

Drew looked at her confusedly. "The singing…?"

Realization seemed to dawn over the girl's face and―to Drew's growing horror―it was getting redder and redder by the millisecond.

"That was you?!"

"Uh―"

"What the hell! Why would you do that?! I could've _died_!"

Drew scowled. "It's not that big of a deal―"

"Well you didn't almost die! Not to mention that now I'm late for class and I still haven't eaten and argh!" She squinted angrily at him. "Who are you anyways?!"

Drew frowned. "Your new neighbor. Anyway―"

"Well what a great first impression you've made grasshead!"

The girl continued to rant. Her face seemed to be turning even redder, and, in all honesty, it was making Drew the grasshead nervous. _Come on Drew, where's that charm that got you through high school?_ Drew looked down the hall and smirked. _Aha._

"And did I mention that I haven't eaten yet? An―"

"For you, Miss…?"

The girl blinked at the rose that had been shoved under her nose. "For...me?"

"Er, yes?" _God, when did I get so awkward?_

"Oh…" she breathed. "It's beautiful."

"It's nowhere as beautiful as your voice."

Her hand went up to her throat. "My...voice?"

Drew nodded, enjoying the way her eyes lit up at the compliment. She looked up at him shyly through her eyelashes. "Thank you. Um, what did you say your name was?"

"Drew. Drew Hayden," he replied with a flick of his still damp hair.

She stuck her hand out and gave him a bright smile. "May. May Maple."

Drew looked at the girl curiously as he took her hand and brought it up to his lips, fighting the urge to laugh as he watched her face redden for reasons completely unrelated to before.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, May."

x

The next day while showering, Drew closed his eyes and thanked the owner of the building for placing potted plants in the hallway.

 _"How does a moment last forever? How can a story never die? It is love..."_

* * *

 _I hope you enjoyed this installment! Please comment and let me know what you think I did right, what I did wrong, and what I can improve on! Until next month!_

 _―purpleprincess1147_


	4. Chapter 4

x

heartbeats and chance meets

x

 _purpleprincess1147_

* * *

 **prompt:** I'm an amateur photographer and that cute boy/girl would be the perfect muse AU

 **pairing:** Iris (21) x Trip (23) {flavescentshipping}

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.**

* * *

He grunts as he squats low to the ground, adjusting his camera in his hands before bringing it up to his face.

"Lotta blood, eh?"

Trip trains his blank, grey eyes on the officer in front of him, then turns and glances around the bright, angular room. He nods stiffly and returns to his camera.

"Yeah, kinda glad they already moved the body. Not too good with that kind of stuff, ya know?"

Trip rolls his eyes and shoves past the officer towards the bedroom.

"That guy out there said the body was moved?"

The woman in charge turns to him with a frown. "Yes, but we already had someone come in for those photos. All that's left is here," she explains, motioning to the room; untouched, save for the bed.

Trip nods and tugs at his white suit before approaching the stained sheets with a grimace.

x

The television hums quietly in the background as Trip makes himself a sandwich in the kitchen. Grabbing a bottle of water and a napkin, he settles himself on the worn out couch and frowns. His eyes tiredly scan the letters being fed across the screen.

 **SUPERMODEL ELESA FOUND DEAD IN HOTEL ROOM**

He snatches up the remote and flicks to a new channel. He's tired of blood.

 _"This morning at around 5:58 AM, supermodel Elesa, born and raised right here in Nimbasa City, was found dead in her hotel room, which she had been staying in while visi―"_

 _Click._

 _"Supermodel Elesa was found―"_

 _Click click clickclickclick―_

 _"A tragedy, rea―"_

Trip chucks the remote at the tv angrily and launches himself off the couch, grabbing his jacket and storming out of his apartment.

x

He rubs at his bloodshot eyes as he make his way towards one of the few parks Nimbasa has to offer. He needs some air, and he's not proud to say that he frequents the park more often than he'd like.

The park is beautiful, Trip thinks, and he is sad to find that he did not grab his camera on his way out. Golden leaves crunch underfoot as he slowly makes his way to his usual spot, taking deep breaths of the crisp autumn air.

He stops abruptly a few feet away from a small clearing surrounded by a few trees, not sure what to make of the scene before him.

A girl is playing with her dog, laughing and running with her hair flying behind her, and Trip doesn't know what to make of it all.

He steps a bit closer and finds himself unprepared for the girl's bright golden eyes meeting his own dull grey ones. She freezes, and so does he, his hand instinctively reaching for his absent camera.

Her eyes flicker around the clearing briefly, and Trip is startled when they refocus on him. They and fierce and they are fiery and Trip does not think he has ever seen anything as mesmerizing.

"Who are you?" she demands.

Her dog barks and she turns her attention to the ball of fur, and Trip takes this moment to commit her face to memory. Her skin is like caramel and her hair is like the night and her eyes―

Her eyes are trained on him again, curious and guarded.

Trip turns and hurries away from the clearing that is no longer his, the crunching of leaves filling his ears and nothing but liquid gold flooding his mind.

x

An entire week passes by before Trip is called in again. He finds himself at the park a couple hours later, camera in hand, the need to be surrounded by life stronger than ever.

He takes a few pictures and the next time he looks up from the viewfinder, he finds himself staring at a waterfall of deep purple hair. He blinks, and before he knows it, he's crawling through the bushes trying to get a better angle of the girl.

Trip rubs at his eyes and brings the camera up to his face.

 _Click._

The girl's reaction is immediate. Her head snaps up from her book― _Growing and Using Herbs and Spices_ ―and her eyes lock on the suspicious lump in the bush to her left.

"Did you just take my picture?!"

He grimaces as he reveals himself, brushing a few stray leaves out of his straw-colored hair. She seems to do a double-take once she realizes who he is.

"You're the guy from last time!" She is standing now, and Trip feels that it is safe enough to approach her. He nods and holds out the camera. "Do you wanna see?'

She looks as confused as he feels, but nods shyly nevertheless. Her eyes are large and glittering today, and he watches as her lips part in awe at the photo on the screen.

"I… Is that really me?"

He nods and peers over her shoulder to get a better view of the photo. She is sitting with her legs crossed, the book in her lap, her lips in the middle of mouthing a word. There is just enough light filtering through the trees to make her eyes sparkle, and altogether, she looks incredibly peaceful―almost ethereal―and Trip can't help but smirk and give himself a mental pat on the back.

She turns and squints suspiciously up at him. "Why were you taking my picture?"

For some reason the question makes Trip chuckle.

She smacks his arm angrily as if they've known each other for years and pouts. "I'm serious! Are you stalking me?"

Trip looks at her through heavy-lidded eyes and seems to ponder over the question. "No."

"Then why the picture?" she demands angrily, her hands resting on her hips.

He shrugs. "Can I take another one?"

"Wh―no!" She shoves his camera back into his hands and glares up at him incredulously. "Delete it!"

Now it's Trip's turn to look incredulous. "What? No," he scoffs. She is beautiful and she is _alive_ and although Trip knows it is impossible to capture that in a photograph, he will not be deterred from trying.

Her eyes ignite and Trip can't keep himself from lifting up his camera.

 _Click._

"Hey!"

Trip lets out a breathy laugh as she reaches for his camera and is pleasantly surprised to find that his eyelids no longer feel heavy.

x

It is the day of their wedding, and upon the insistence of Iris, they have a photographer that isn't Trip because _We don't have a single picture of the both of us in the apartment. You're always the one behind the camera!_

Neither of their eyes have ever shined as brightly as they do when they take their first photo as husband and wife.

* * *

 _Hey guys! This installment turned out a bit different than the others, I think. I hope you don't mind. The pairing itself is not very popular, but I wanted to give it a shot anyways. Hopefully you guys enjoyed it! Feel free to leave a comment on what I did right, what I did wrong, and what I can improve on! Ciao!_

 _―purpleprincess1147_


	5. Chapter 5

x

heartbeats and chance meets

x

 _purpleprincess1147_

 **prompt:** I'm baking and I need some eggs so I thought I'd get them from my friend's apartment but they're not in and uh hey this isn't their apartment at all and I'm so sorry I'm stealing your eggs

 **pairing:** Clemont (25) x Serena (24) {geekchicshipping}

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.**

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Humming quietly to herself, Serena set down the bags in her hand and fished her keys out of her purse. She let out a happy little sigh as she entered her apartment and set the bags down on the counter.

"Time to get to work!"

She opened up a drawer and pulled out her apron, shrugging it on and tightening the string around her waist. Serena rummaged through the two bags excitedly, pulling out item after item.

"Sugar? Check! Butter? Check! Flour, check. Vanilla, check. Baking powder, powdered sugar, eggs...eggs…"

Serena pulled her head out of the bag and frowned, running her hands through her now frazzled hair.

"I forgot the eggs!"

She let out a small scream of frustration and slumped down on the white couch, puffing her cheeks out irritably. _Now what am I gonna do? I don't know when the next bus goes into town, and Shauna's not around to drive me. Grr._

Serena huffed and looked around the room, thoroughly put out. She perked up suddenly, a small grin eating away at her face. She grabbed her keys off the counter and skipped out of her apartment, making sure to lock it on her way out. Shauna being out didn't mean she couldn't help Serena out with her little predicament.

Serena walked down the hall and darted up the stairs to the second floor of the complex, all the while trying to remember the number of Shauna's apartment. Twenty-one? Twenty-two? It was definitely twenty-something.

Panting slightly― _damn, I need to renew my gym membership_ ―Serena started her trek down the hallway identical to her own, trying each doorknob as she went. _Shauna never locks her door, sooo…_

"Aha!" Serena grinned triumphantly as the fifth door she tried creaked open. She dashed straight in, only to backtrack and stick her head out the door to check the number on the door. Twenty-five.

She closed the door behind her and walked straight towards the kitchen, not even bothering to take in her surroundings; she'd been here plenty of times, and right now, she was on a mission to satisfy her sweet tooth.

Opening the fridge, Serena was taken aback by the amount of produce inside. She peered in curiously, not really sure as to what half the stuff in there even was. Sure, there were some normal things, like broccoli and milk, but there was also something that looked like some kind of...horned melon mutation. Serena chewed on her cheek thoughtfully as she moved things aside, making sure to steer clear of a bowl full of weird spiky pink...things. _Is Shauna on some kind of weird diet? Not that she needs it, of course. I'd kill to be as thin as her! Is this how she does it? Eat weird spiky fruit that shreds her stomach apart?_

Serena straightened up and huffed, blowing a strand of honey-colored hair out of her face. "Does she not have any eggs?!"

As she bent over to search a bit more thoroughly, the sound of the doorknob jiggling made her freeze in place. _Shauna's not supposed to be back until tomorrow._

"Of course, I'll have it by tomorrow."

Serena let out a small squeak and ducked behind the counter, grabbing a random item from the fridge as she did so, letting it shut silently behind her. Someone was breaking into Shauna's apartment. _Oh god oh god oh god it sounds like a guy oh my god how am I gonna defend myself with these noodle arms oh god oh god what did I even grab?!_

She looked down at her lap and felt her eye twitch.

Eggs. She had grabbed the carton of eggs that she had come for in the first place. Of course.

Serena crawled over to the side of the counter and peeked around the edge, her breath quickening when she caught a glimpse of a pair of work boots. She turned to the carton of eggs and winced as the styrofoam packaging squeaked.

"Um, I'll call you back Bonnie. I think I heard something…"

 _Bonnie? Are these code names? Is this guy's name Clyde or something?! GAH! Focus Serena! You are about to die for crying out loud!_

Clutching one single egg in each hand, Serena took a deep, not-so-calming breath and moved into a crouching position. _This...This is for Shauna!_

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" She launched herself onto the counter and threw the eggs blindly, clenching her now empty fists and swinging them wildly.

"Wh―Hey! Ouch! H―Hey! Gah! S―Stop! P―Please! Hey!"

Serena ran out the door without a glance back.

x

"Shauna! I'm so glad you're back!" Serena threw herself on her best friend and squeezed her tightly. "I have so much to tell you!"

Shauna laughed and tugged at her left pigtail. "Let's head up to my place first, yeah? I'm dying to get into something more comfy."

Serena nodded and followed her up the stairs, wondering how she would break the news to her friend. She had, of course, called the cops, but they hadn't found a thing out of place, apparently. _Guess I scared the guy off. Ha._

Shauna pushed open the door and Serena trailed after her, glancing carelessly at the door as she headed in.

Twenty-nine.

Serena stumbled and grabbed the doorknob, swinging the door back open and twisting her body around wildly in order to see the metal number clearly.

Twenty-nine. Two nine. Dos and nueve. II and IX.

Serena rushed over to the fridge, stumbling on the floor rug as she turned the corner of the counter. Throwing open Shauna's fridge, Serena found it to be practically empty and completely void of any strange looking fruits.

Shauna gave her friend a bewildered look. "Um, you hungry Serena?"

Serena ignored her friend and snatched the egg carton from the fridge, hoping against all hope that at least two eggs were missing. She cracked it open and almost fainted right there on the spot.

No matter how many times she counted, and no matter how many languages she tried―she only knew English and the numbers one through ten in Spanish but _goddammit it all_ if she wasn't gonna try in French and Chinese anyways―there were still twelve untouched eggs in the carton of twelve Grade AA eggs.

God damn it all.

x

Serena fluffed her short hair in the mirror and straightened her skirt nervously. It had been exactly three days since she had attacked some random guy in his apartment and, according to Shauna―who had almost passed out from laughing so hard after hearing Serena's oh so heroic tale―it was high time to apologize to the poor guy who had _probably_ been scarred for life.

She squared her bare shoulders and glared at her reflection. _You can do this. You are smart. You are strong. You are most definitely not at fault. Not your fault. Not your fault._

Serena nodded and strutted out of her apartment, hoping that her good looks would soften the blow if he decided that she was indeed at fault.

x

Serena glanced at the shiny twenty-five warily. She could hear what sounded like a drill being used from inside the apartment, and honestly, she wasn't totally sure about what to do or say. What if he was a total jerk? What if he was a creep? What if he was really, understandably pissed at her?

She knocked on the door before she could chicken out.

The noises coming from inside stopped― _dammit, I was hoping he wouldn't hear_ ―and Serena felt herself choke on her own spit when the doorknob started turning.

"Um, hello."

What if he was… kind of cute?

Serena cursed internally as she looked him over. _Tall, not too thin, not too buff, aw man, he's blonde too! My second greatest weakness after hazel eyes!_

A nervous, high-pitched giggle was her immediate response. She slapped a hand over her mouth and felt her face redden.

"Are you okay?"

Nodding hard, Serena straightened suddenly and shut her eyes tightly. "HiI'mSerena andI'mkindathegirlwhoattackedyouinyourownapartmentSaturdayI'msosorrypleasedon'tcallthecopsonmeI'mtoocuteforjail!" She looked up at him through her eyelashes and batted them a few times.

Needless to say, she felt quite satisfied when a light blush appeared on his oil-stained face. He reached up and scratched at his cheek uncertainly, leaving behind another black smudge on his face.

Serena bit her lip. _Unf._

"Do you mind if I come in? I'm sure this would all be easier if I just told you the whole story."

The blonde scrambled out of the doorway, tripping slightly over a stray wrench. "O―Of course!"

Smiling slightly, she held her hands behind her back as she entered the apartment. "I'm Serena, by the way."

"C―Clemont. Clemont Liscio."

Serena furrowed her brow thoughtfully as she examined the apartment, which was littered with various tools, wires, and scraps of metal. Oh yah. Definitely not Shauna's place. If only she'd noticed before.

"Please, sit," he motioned, pulling out a chair for her at the counter. She raised her eyebrow. Why the hell was he being so… polite?

She sat down anyways.

Clemont walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a familiar bowl full of the strange, pink, spiky alien fruit that Serena had seen when raiding his fridge before. Her curiosity thoroughly peaked, Serena walked over to watch him cut up the fruit.

"Um, what is that?"

Clemont looked at her over his shoulder as he grabbed a knife. "Hm? Oh, it's dragon fruit!"

Serena looked at him dubiously. "And you're gonna… eat it?"

Chuckling, Clemont grabbed a fruit and cut it straight down the middle. "I'm guessing you've never tried it before?"

Serena shook her head and reached for one of the fruits in the bowl. "Is the whole thing edible? How do you even know if it's ripe? Or, uh, ready to eat?"

Before she could register what was happening, Clemont's fingers were wrapped around the fruit in her hand―and her fingers by extension―and he was explaining what color the skin should be and how it should feel and something about spots and honestly, Serena wasn't all too sure about what she should do.

Seemingly unaware of her inner turmoil, Clemont took her entire hand in both of his and gently squeezed it.

"See, it should give a little, but it shouldn't be too soft, either. If it's really firm," ―he let go of her hand and reached for another fruit― "like this one," ―he placed said fruit into her empty hand and gave it a light squeeze― "then it needs to ripen for a few more days."

Serena nodded quickly, trying to rid her face of the light blush that had begun to appear upon realizing that she had not hated the way his slightly calloused palms had felt on her own unblemished hands.

"The whole fruit isn't edible, though, so you need to scoop out the white part; that's the part you can eat." Following his own instructions, Clemont carefully scooped out the white flesh peppered with tiny black seeds, taking care to remove any left over pink spots. After dicing the fruit into small cubes, Clemont scraped them all into a small bowl and offered it to Serena.

She blinked owlishly at the blonde, who was giving her what might have very well been the most boyishly cute smile she had ever seen.

"Try it."

Smiling shyly, Serena daintily picked a piece and popped it into her mouth and found herself pleasantly surprised. It was sweet and crunchy, and tasted kind of like a cross between a kiwi and a pear.

"Wow! That's really yummy!" She leaned closer to Clemont. "Where'd you get it? Have you ever thought of making a cake with it? Or a pie?"

He scratched at his still dirty cheek and looked up at ceiling thoughtfully. "Well, I'm not much of a baker to be completely honest," he admitted sheepishly. "But I'm sure you are, right? I mean, that's why you were taking my eggs, wasn't it?"

Serena felt her like her face was going to combust when he shot her a cheeky grin. "Ahaha, right you are, Clemont!"

"Do you still need them?"

"Uh, what?"

"The eggs; do you still need them?"

Clemont turned abruptly and began to rummage through the fridge. Serena scrambled over to him and slammed the stainless steel appliance shut.

"I can't take your eggs! I'm supposed to be apologizing for trying to take your eggs in the first place!"

Clemont gave her a sheepish look and shrugged, reaching up to adjust his glasses. "Well, it seemed like you really needed them at the time," he reasoned. Nevertheless, he put his hands up in a show of surrender. "There's no need to apologize. It was just a misunderstanding."

Serena stared at him as if he had two heads in addition to his four eyes. What the hell was wrong with this guy? She had attacked him in his own home for Pete's sake! He should be pressing charges or―or something!

 _No no no, Serena. That's the exact opposite of what we want._

Realistically, Serena knew she should be grateful; she should smile, thank him for not sending her to jail, and just be on her merry little way.

So why the frick fracking snick snack was she still here?!

"Here."

Serena stared at the tupperware container of dragon fruit in utter disbelief. "Why do you keep offering me your food?! If anyone should be offering anything to anyone, it should be me to you!"

Clemont only nudged her hand with the container in response.

Grudgingly she accepted the container. "Fine. But I'm using it to make a cake. For you. As an apology."

Clemont grinned as she stalked out of his apartment. "I'm looking forward to it!"

x

"So, are you Clemont's giiiiiirlfriend?"

Serena shifted in her seat uncertainly. _This is what I get for being a nice person._

After Clemont had given her almost all of his dragon fruit, she had headed home to brainstorm ideas on how to incorporate the strange fruit into a cake. She had eventually come up with a dragon fruit layer cake with chocolate frosting, and it tasted pretty damn good if she did say so herself.

The next day had presented a completely free schedule; the perfect opportunity to bestow her gift upon the mad scientist living a floor above her.

Unfortunately, luck was not on Serena's side today. Upon knocking on Clemont's door, a girl around the age of eighteen had answered, stating that he was not currently home, but that _he'll be back soon! He just had to take care of something for work! My name's Bonnie, I'm Clemont's sister!_

After trying to say that she'd just come back later, Serena had found herself being forcefully ushered into the apartment by the surprisingly strong girl, who insisted on getting to know her better.

"You know, I've been telling Clemont that it's high time he got married, but he never listens!" Bonnie trained her eyes on Serena from her upside down position on the couch. "He's already twenty-five, and honestly, he's not getting any younger here! Maybe he's finally coming to his senses," she proclaimed with an eerily wide grin.

Serena laughed awkwardly and clutched the cake box tighter, almost passing out from relief when she heard the front door open.

"Bonnie, I'm―Serena?"

Serena offered him a weak smile and a shaky wave, trying desperately to hold in her laughter upon seeing his horrified face.

"Bonnie, what've you―"

"I think she's a keeper, big brother! You sure know how to pick 'em!"

"B―Bonnie! I―Grah! I told you to stop doing this!"

* * *

 _Hey guys! First off, I'd like to apologize for not updating May. You know how finals are. To make up for it, I'm going to try to update again this month._

 _Second: this was really difficult for me to write for some reason, so I'm sorry if it came out like absolute shit. I'll try to make the next installment better._

 _Thanks for taking the time to read! Feel free to leave a comment behind, and until next time, this is goodbye!_


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